Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
The Gators (7-0) hope to continue their undefeated streak against the Wichita State Shockers (6-0) in the championship game of the ESPN Events Invitational. The Gators took care of business yesterday with a convincing victory against Wake Forest 75-58. They are 1 of the 3 Division 1 teams to have won all their games by double digits and look to continue that dominance and win some silverware, today. If the Gators win today, this will be the first time the Gators have been 8-0 since 2009.
Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin have been the starting duo that have been driving this Gator team to success with Clayton Jr. scoring 21 points last game and Martin scoring 16. Today, the duo looks to continue their dominance on the court and lead the Gators to 8-0.
Wichita State looks to continue their winning streak after a close OT victory against Minnesota in the previous round, winning 68-66. Harlond Beverly and Corey Washington lead the Shockers in scoring with 16 points from Beverly and 13 from Washington.
This is the third time in history that the Gators have faced a team where both teams have a record of 6-0 or better. The Gators lost the previous two matches as they lost to an 8-0 Syracuse in December 2009 and to a 7-0 Arizona in December 2012. The third time’s the charm, right?
It was, as Florida destroyed Wichita State in all aspects of the game. This game was over by the half, realistically. The Gators outscored the Shockers 56-13 from 7:16 of the first half to 7:16 of the second half and the starters were benched with 9 minutes left in the second half. Florida moves to 8-0 as they win enthusiastically, 88-51.
Inside the Gators’ Instant Analysis takes a quick look at how the game unfolded.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: The Gators finished the first half with a 16-0 run and started the second half with an 11-0 run. They outscored the Shockers by 27 until Matej Bosnjak scored a jumper with 16:46 left in the second half. The Gators were up by 33 with 15 minutes left in the half. The Shockers had no way of climbing back and the game was Florida’s once it hit the 9-minute mark in the second half as they led by 41 points.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Reuben Chinyelu was the most dominant player on the floor today. Defensively, he finished with 7 defensive rebounds and 4 blocks. Offensively, he finished with 14 points, 4 assists, and 4 offensive rebounds. He earned a double-double, too.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Wichita State didn’t score in the last 7:26 of the first half. They went 0-10 during that period while Florida finished the half with a 16-0 run. Reuben Chinyelu finished the first half with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Florida began the second half with an 11-0 run. Florida finished the game outrebounding Wichita State 56-30. Florida also shot 44.9% from the field and 42.4% from three. The Gators made 14 three point shots, which turned out to be 82% of Wichita State’s total points.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: Quincy Ballard and Alex Condon were having a great battle before the game got out of hand for Wichita State. Ballard and Condon were scoring on each other, rebounding against each other, and fighting for control in the paint. Condon ultimately got the last laugh with the better stat line, but Ballard put up a great fight and kept his team in the game for as long as he could. Condon finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds and Ballard finished with 5 points and 3 rebounds.
WHAT A PLAY: Chinyelu slams down a contested alley-oop with 4 minutes left at the half.
This dunk set the tone for the rest of the game and ultimately foreshadowed Chinyelu’s dominance in this game.
UP NEXT: Florida (8-0) takes on Virginia (5-2) on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 7:15 p.m. at the O’Connell Center.
(Turn your Smart Phone horizontally or, on a computer, right-click on the image to open in a new browser to see a larger version – Or click on the Box Score link at the top)
0 comments